ST How will the old generation get phased out?

I figure Luke will have an Obi-Wan type death right before the final act of VII fighting either the bad guy or the bad guy's champion and then return in VIII and IX as a Force Ghost. Han and Leia will die together on the Falcon as it crashes into the bridge of an enemy Star Destroyer either at the very beginning of VIII or at the very end of VIII leaving Episode IX free and clear for the next generation of characters to stand or fall on their own.

 

'Character Shield': Plot device in film and TV that prevents important characters from dying or being seriously injured at dramatically inconvenient moments. It often denotes a situation in which it strains credibility to believe that the character would survive.

With the above def. in mind, my question is this, how do 'character shields' apply to Star Wars? Especially the films?

A plot device in film that prevents important characters from dying is technically non-existent in Star Wars, as Han Solo and Lando Calrissian (arguably main characters) were both at one point in time within the script going to possibly be killed off except for the fact that Harrison was convinced otherwise by Lucas, and Billy Dee was a fan favorite, of whom was originally killed in the ROTJ script, but brought back because of negative fan reaction. There was no visible 'shield' in the OT that I am aware of...just that circumstances within the script changed repeatedly, and fell into place as they did. Not to mention, Obi-Wan/Anakin were main characters, especially in the sense of watching the films in order, and they were each killed off too AND it was supposed to be Anakin's story. Sounds to me, like nobody is safe in Star Wars, and that is not even getting into the EU stuff wherein every single character dies.

Or being seriously injured is also technically non-existent in Star Wars, as Luke Skywalker lost his hand, Anakin lost an arm, Han was frozen in carbonite and his state of life or death would be revealed in ROTJ, and he suffered from hibernation sickness upon returning.

Going into the ST, knowing as little as we do, how can 'shields' relate to returning OT characters anymore (although imo they never did)? We know nothing of the script, save for the fact that the OT characters are likely handing over the reigns to a new generation, and on that basis alone one could go by the assumption that they are not the main characters anymore, and have even more of a chance of getting killed off, therefore taking away the unpredictability of such an occurance. Which leads me back to my original point, how do 'character shields' apply to Star Wars?

 

Ok...you got me there : )

 

The Big 3, plus Chewbacca will all die together as the Falcon's Navigation Computer doesn't recognize the asteroid field as they make the jump to Lightspeed.

 

What I'd personally like to see is non of the original 3 being killed off. I'd specifically like to see Luke's character being retained for the entire ST, and being a prominent player throughout (with him drifting off into the sunset at the end of Ep IX for continued adventures in the EU). I'd like to see stories and characters converge and diverge, with focus ultimately shifting to the 'new'. Saying that, I am aware that this is based on my fondness for the original characters and that, to create conflict/tension for new characters, older characters such as Luke, Han and Leia may (and probably will) have to be killed off.

 

In order to have Luke really "pass on what he has learned" he needs to stick around for a while. Having him die in Episode 7 would probably please those who are in favor of "mirroring" the previous movies, where the mentor inevitably gets chopped up in the first movie. In my view, this "mirroring" thing is walking dangerously close to the abyss of silly patterns and repetition. Have yet another Force Ghost "surprisingly" come back in the next movie(s) to guide the characters? Rather not.
Why not, for example, have him incapacitated in some manner? He's alive, but not able to participate in the action? How about he simply takes a step back, realising it is time for the new generation to take over, and lets them face their own challenges? I'd rather see him personally and in flesh pass on his teachings, rather than yet another Force Ghost. Have him pass away peacefully, of his own will, at the end of Episode 9. There are many ways for him to stay out of the spotlight as new heroes take over.

As for Han and Leia, something I've mentioned someplace else sometime ago... it would be a more interesting twist if it is actually Leia who dies. That would leave a lot of room for some interesting dynamics between Han and Luke, and the potential Solo/Skywalker children as well. Leia's death is something that would have an equally strong impact on pretty much everyone: Han loses his wife (assuming they're married), Luke his sister, the children their mother and even the entire galaxy is saddened by the death of one of the most recognizable faces of the Rebellion and the rebuilt Republic. How would that affect Han and Luke's relationship? Would Han blame Luke? Would Luke blame himself? Would that cause him to actually retire, realising he can no longer protect the ones he loves, leaving it to the younger generation? Will Han snap and go on a revenge rampage, only to be saved and redeemed by Luke and/or his kids?

That's way more interesting to me than the simple "mentor dies, floats in from the forest to teach you about magic" or the far too obvious "Harrison Ford gets his death scene."

 

I think Han dies first mainly due to Harrison Ford's wishes. Luke would die facing off against the new bad guy and saves his kid the same way Obi-Wan saved Luke, however he'll be around as a Force ghost. Leia who usually stays out of the line of fire as a politician would probably die of natural causes at the end of the whole thing.

 

I don't think Han is going to die in Episode VII for a few reasons. First, let's face it, he's the least important of the O3, which makes his death the most meaningless. Secondly, having said that, he's also a fan favorite which means there's a vested interest in keeping him alive. Thirdly, I think it would have more weight along with being more consistent if a Jedi mentor character dies. And lastly, according to rumors which contained portions that have been corroborated by official information, one of the conditions for Harrison signing on was approval of a three film arc for his character. Maybe he'll still get his death at the end of the trilogy, but I don't think it will be before then.

I have to say, though, that I do like the idea of Leia being the one who dies in Episode VII, especially if she's gone full Jedi. It would be just unexpected enough to be really emotional without eliciting the groans you might get from the obviousness of Luke biting it, and you still get all the benefits including being able to return as a ghost. On the other hand, I've always pictured her dying in Episode VIII for some reason. Maybe because it would both draw a parallel with her grandmother's death, as well as a twist on the emotional moment between her and Han in TESB. So if they all had to die, my ideal order would be Luke in VII, Leia in VIII, and Han in IX. Although, there is something to be said for Leia's death in Episode IX paralleling that of her mother's as well, since their connection is so strong, not to mention a certain value in keeping Luke alive until the end of the trilogy. But all in all, I think my second choice would be Leia dying in Episode VII, none of them in VIII, and Luke in IX, with Han defying the odds and living to a ripe old age with Chewy. Actually I might even like that one better now that I think about it.

 

I'm also loving The Hellhammer's post regarding Leia dying first. It's a cracking idea.

 

What if Leia's death turns Luke Skywalker to the dark side and he in fact becomes the villain?

 

Said the same thing as The Hellhammer . The rift between Han and luke over leias death could make for a good story.
Then Han can look for the one armed sith who killed his wife

 

Best action figure sales will keep character alive the longest.

 

So, I'm watching another of AMCs Godfather marathons this past weekend, and I got to thinking that, as far as passing the reins to the next generation is concerned, the first film kind of mirrors how I'd like to see Episode VII play out.

As the head of the family (and as portrayed by a living legend), Brando's Vito Corleone is, ostensibly, the protagonist of The Godfather. Brando received top billing, and for most of the proceedings, the Don carries the weight (no pun intended) of the film. In a bit of a controversial move (at least as far as Al Pacino was concerned), it was Brando who was given the distinction of a Lead Actor Oscar nod, to Pacino's Supporting Actor nomination. To the question of "lead," there was a kind of organic ambiguity between the roles of the Don and his youngest son (Pacino's "Michael") that you don't often see in a film. That said, as it moves on, the picture transitions beautifully from one protagonist to the next, and by the end of the picture, there's no question as to who will take the reins in moving forward.

On the heels of the reported direction for the ST, I can see something very much along these lines occurring with the Episode VII.

Luke Skywalker: Hero of the Rebellion, founder of the New Jedi Order (and played by SW's own version of a living legend, Mark Hamill), etc. Lead character of Episode VII, who (along with Leia and Han, but for the sake of simplicity, I'm talking Luke) gets one last go around as the hero, but who (preferably in a subtle and deft manner, as with Godfather) is grooming the next generation of hero(es) to take the reins. By the end, the new Sky-Solos have gone from characters serving to support the Big3, to the unquestioned center of the story heading forward.

I know there are some differences. The story of The Godfather took place over the course of years, and the film had the benefit of a running time of nearly three hours, to boot. Additionally, though the Don was in "semi-retirement" as Michael began to take the reins, Vito does die in the picture. And although this is something I hope won't happen with Luke until Episode IX (if it even has to occur at all), the outright death of Brando's character did help pave the way for Michael.

I don't know, I'm not saying that Episode VII will be executed as skillfully as one of the world's finest pieces of cinema (though I imagine there aren't many of us who would mind if it were), only that there is precedence for such a transition.

 

How will the old generation get phased phaser-ed out?


fixed and answered.


awww man, TKT beat me to it

 

This means they will all stay around...I highly doubt Disney will have any interest in killing off their new characters.

If anyone is going to go it will be Han, and then the potential young Han movie would fill that gap.

Id bet on Luke living throughout this trilogy.

 

I feel a bit phased out since 1999. That's probably why I joined these boards.

 

lots of words, words, more words, eyes glaze, *shrug* Good enough for me. Press "Like" button.

 

I wasn't being entirely serious with that post, just wanted to mention that.

 

Han is killed in action, possibly a heroic death

Leia goes full politician mode (which puts her away from violent action)

Luke becomes a teacher after he has the humiliating experience of being captured by a younger Sith

But I'm okay with most possibilities, unless they overdo the whole protagonist killing thing.

 

If Mara Jade (or any wife of Luke) is indeed in the ST, then I think they should give her a movie to get to know her and then kill her in the second one. And if that happens then we need Luke to survive until the third movie so that the impact of her death can be felt. So that means Leia in Episode VII, Mara in Episode VIII, and Luke in Episode IX. Poor Han. Well he'll still have Chewy, maybe Lando, and hopefully at least one kid when all's said and done. Do the droids stay with him or one of the kids though? Hmmm.

 

But to be honest, the concept of certain situations and even lines "rhyming" between trilogies was never one I had issues with; the execution, perhaps, but not the basic idea of it.

In fact, I really believe that's part of the point of Star Wars as a tool for instruction and growth: that we all go through problems, many of them very similar to another person's problems, and no one gets left out of all this. What is within our power is how we choose to react to and deal with said problems. Thus, the problem is what rhymes through the saga; what makes each incident different is the person involved and their reaction to it, and that's what makes the scenes different from each other between trilogies. And of course, this culminates in a situation in which the main character is presented with the choice to kill, or not kill, an unarmed and defenseless opponent, and Luke and Anakin each answered the situation differently; whoever the next main character is, assuming they go that route again, will have to offer a different solution still.

I submit that it doesn't risk becoming silly if the writer is competent, aware of the previous iterations of the "rhyme," and creative enough to come up with a solution or resolution that is both different from the previous ones and appropriate to the character involved.

The other reason to do it is that you really risk having the third trilogy be the odd man out if you make it TOO different from the other two. The ST is, after all, meant to represent the third act in a three-act structure, with each act, or trilogy, itself broken down into three acts, or episodes. You can't have the third act in any story be a radical departure from the previous two in style unless and until the story makes it clear that there's a damn good reason to do it, and none of us have gotten anything close to that kind of a hint from Disney/LFL. The shift in style and tone would be noticeable in all the wrong ways. I mean, that'd be like having the second episode of a trilogy be all dark and philosophical and then having the third one be all about cute little teddy bears and...

...oh.